Birth name | Stephen Morris | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 1 September 1896 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Newport[1] Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 29 May 1965 | (aged 68)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of death | Newport, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft (183 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 14 st 3 lb (199 lb; 90 kg)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Occupation(s) | miner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Steve Morris (1 September 1896 – 29 May 1965) was a Welsh international rugby union flanker who played club rugby for Cross Keys. A hard man, Morris was extremely physical in the way he played the game, sometimes over physical and he was unafraid to turn to violence if it was warranted. It is reported that he once knocked out a Welsh heavyweight boxing champion in a sparring session.[3] At 6 foot and over 14 stone in weight, Morris was a hulking player, but he was still recognised as a cheerful and genial person.[4]
A coal miner by profession, Morris would work down the pit at Risca Colliery on a Saturday morning and then turn out to play for Cross Keys in the afternoon. Morris spent his entire playing career at Cross Keys and later became the club's chairman. On his death his ashes were scattered at Pandy Park, the team's home ground.